For King and Other Countries

Description

When war was declared in August 1914, many New Zealanders were travelling or living abroad. In the rush to sign up to defend the Empire, it was often easier to enlist locally than travel back to New Zealand to join the NZEF. That's one of the reasons that more than ten thousand New Zealanders fought the First World War under other flags, in the military forces of other nations. If they are added to the total number of New Zealanders currently understood to have served, then New Zealand's contribution to the war effort becomes even more remarkable, but to date they have not been correctly enumerated, let alone included. These New Zealanders served with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), with British Army units, the Indian Army, the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the French Foreign Legion, and they include the considerable number of women who served with other nations' medical organisations. Leading military historian Glyn Harper has scoured archives and museums worldwide to show where and when these New Zealanders served, and to tell their remarkable - and sometimes surprising and tragic - stories for the first time. For King and Other Countries makes a unique contribution to our understanding of our military history.

Glyn Harper is Professor of War Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North. He is Massey's Team Leader for the Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War project and wrote one of the first volumes. A former teacher, he joined the Australian Army in 1988 and after eight years transferred to the New Zealand Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Glyn was the army's official historian for the deployment to East Timor and is the author of fourteen books for adults. These include Kippenberger: An Inspired New Zealand Commander; In the Face of the Enemy: The complete history of the Victoria Cross and New Zealand; Dark Journey: Three Key Battles of the Western Front; Images of War: World War One: A Photographic Record of New Zealanders at War 1914-1918; Letters from Gallipoli: New Zealand Soldiers Write Home; The Battles of Monte Cassino: The campaign and its controversies and his most recent being Johnny Enzed: The New Zealand soldier in the First World War 1914-18. Glyn also enjoys writing books for children. Some of his children's books include The Donkey Man, My Grandfather's War and Le Quesnoy: The Story of the Town New Zealand Saved. Glyn's latest book for children, Gladys goes to War, was released in March 2016.

'For King and Other Countries has found a fresh angle our WW1 history - an engrossing catalogue of those who served under other flags. ... What's so engaging about this book is the individual stories, the odd places they ended up and the occasional tragic ends they met. ... And the stories of the occasional conmen and scallywags who would jump from one army of the Empire to the other and of selfless nurses who just wanted to make a difference wherever they were needed round out this refreshingly entertaining volume of war stories.' - New Zealand Listener; 'Adding to the many biographies and stories in this beautifully produced book are rare images. Much value is added in reading about the service of a particular New Zealander with an accompanying image to visualise them. It is not easy to write a collective biography of thousands, but Harper skilfully weaves the individual stories into thematic groupings, with weight and space given to the brave and heroic, as well as the larrikins and the villains. ... For King and Other Countries has reclaimed thousands of forgotten New Zealanders who have been, in many cases, absent from this country's record of service.' - Tim Cook, NZ Books Pukapuka Aotearoa